It’s on! There are three yarn bombs around Des Moines in very public places. I have no idea how long they’ll be there though. The basics:

I met Robb and Matt at 9:45 p.m. Robb wore a black sweatshirt and black beanie. Matt wore flannel. I wore dirty jeans and a dirty sweatshirt. So legit. So ready for some knit graffiti.

Our first location yelled at us. Literally, the thing spoke, we screamed, and hightailed it outta there.

First success was in a highly lighted place. Serene though (no screaming this time).

Second success was in near a security guard and a some old dead guys.

Third success was like tagging in a spotlight. Matt almost wet his pants as all the cars passed by. I tied as fast as possible, and we sprinted away, babbling with fear.

But how exhilarating. Much congratulations and singing (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”) were in order. We are quite pleased with ourselves.

So here’s what’s going to happen: Below are three close-ups of the tags. Your mission: find them. The first people to snag a photo of each will get a coffee/lunch/milkshake from Smoky Row — my treat. Tweet me or send me your photo via email and we’ll talk. Happy hunting!

The shirts are a collaborative effort between CBE and four local “alternative” artists. Artists in Toronto were each given four shirts to design how they saw fit. The first was graffiti artist, Aaron Li-Hill. The second was modern cobbler, Katie Reed of Sole Survivor. Third, Peter Sanagan from Sanagan’s Meat Locker (don’t worry, no real blood was used). I like this one. Meat as art? Knives as art? A butcher as artist? Whoever chose Sanagan’s as a collaborator is the wo/man whose hand I want to shake. Good work.

The shirts have been released every Wednesday in September via Vimeo video — and there’s still one left. They run for $44, but each shirt is a work of art that won’t be reproduced. Ever.

CBE, a Toronto-based team, set out three years ago to produce a hyper-local clothing line — completely designed, manufactured, and distributed in one city. And they did it. Their clothes sell throughout Canada and certain stores in the U.S., but it’s all produced within 50 km of Toronto.

I like the shirts for their support value. Behind every art project is a talented — and often under-appreciated — artist. Showing off the talent of local artists pays it forward, at least until the shirts are all sold out. Keep an eye out for the last two designs, launching here on Wednesdays.